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Wings of the West #8
The Starling
Colorado 1899
Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy cattleman Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way.
The Starling features a fake marriage, mystery, adventure, and romance with light steam. Kate Ryan is the daughter of Matt and Molly from The Wren. The Starling is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series. Although it’s Book Eight in the Wings series, it can most definitely be read as a standalone.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk
Book Eleven: The Swan
Book Twelve: The Falcon (Pre-Order Now)
Kate Ryan has always had a streak of justice in her. When she decides to apply to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, nothing will stand in her way. Initially hired in a clerical position, she quickly works her way up to field agent with the help of her mentor, Louise Foster. When Louise is injured, Kate gets her first assignment and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Henry Maguire has been undercover in the household of wealthy cattleman Arthur Wingate. Employed as a ghostwriter to pen the man’s memoir, Henry is also searching for clues to a lucrative counterfeiting scheme. When Henry’s “wife” shows up, he’s taken aback by the attractive woman who isn’t Louise. Now he must work with a female agent he doesn’t know and doesn’t necessarily trust. And because he has another reason for coming into Wingate’s world, Kate Ryan is unavoidably in his way.
The Starling features a fake marriage, mystery, adventure, and romance with light steam. Kate Ryan is the daughter of Matt and Molly from The Wren. The Starling is the first of five novels featuring the second generation of Ryans in the Wings of the West series. Although it’s Book Eight in the Wings series, it can most definitely be read as a standalone.
The Wings of the West Series Reading Order
Book One: The Wren
Book Two: The Dove
Book Three: The Sparrow
Book Four: The Blackbird
Book Five: The Bluebird
Book Six: The Songbird (Novella)
Book Seven: Echo of the Plains (Short Story)
Book Eight: The Starling
Book Nine: The Canary
Book Ten: The Nighthawk
Book Eleven: The Swan
Book Twelve: The Falcon (Pre-Order Now)
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2022
8 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
Kristy McCaffrey
78 books517 followersKristy McCaffrey writes historical western romances brimming with grit and emotion, as well as romantic contemporary adventures. Her work is filled with smoldering romance, compelling heroes, determined heroines, and her trademark mysticism.
Although she holds a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering, she shifted to being a stay-at-home mom and part-time writer until her four children were grown. Now she runs her writing business full-time while enjoying the perks of being the boss, which mostly entails playing with her grandchildren whenever the opportunity arises.
Her first novel, The Wren, was a CAPA winner for Best New Author Traditional, a Texas Gold finalist, and a HOLT Medallion finalist for Best First Book. The Sparrow was a 2012 Winter Rose Winner. The Blackbird won the 2015 Laramie award for Best in Western Romance. Her contemporary adventure, Cold Horizon, was a 2021 National Excellence in Romance Fiction winner, and Ancient Winds was a 2022 HOLT Medallion finalist.
An Arizona native, Kristy resides in the desert north of Phoenix with her husband and rescue mutt - an American Bulldog named Jeb. Sign up for her newsletter at http://kmccaffrey.com/subscribe/ to receive her latest book news as well as subscriber-only content.
Kristy is a member of Novelists Inc.
Although she holds a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering, she shifted to being a stay-at-home mom and part-time writer until her four children were grown. Now she runs her writing business full-time while enjoying the perks of being the boss, which mostly entails playing with her grandchildren whenever the opportunity arises.
Her first novel, The Wren, was a CAPA winner for Best New Author Traditional, a Texas Gold finalist, and a HOLT Medallion finalist for Best First Book. The Sparrow was a 2012 Winter Rose Winner. The Blackbird won the 2015 Laramie award for Best in Western Romance. Her contemporary adventure, Cold Horizon, was a 2021 National Excellence in Romance Fiction winner, and Ancient Winds was a 2022 HOLT Medallion finalist.
An Arizona native, Kristy resides in the desert north of Phoenix with her husband and rescue mutt - an American Bulldog named Jeb. Sign up for her newsletter at http://kmccaffrey.com/subscribe/ to receive her latest book news as well as subscriber-only content.
Kristy is a member of Novelists Inc.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 5, 2022
Kate and Henry's story was a perfect blend of romance, adventure, crime-fighting, redemption, and learning to trust again. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it!
July 27, 2022
Another excellent story by this author for this series. I love this series, it has the intrigue, danger, family ties. Matt's daughter, Kate (Katie to him) has joined the Pinkerton Agency at the young age of 19. Her job is two fold, her partner, Henry, and her are trying to solve the crime of missing gold, forged paintings and counterfeit money. But she is also supposed to keep an eye on Henry, they think he's there for another reason, to find out who murdered his dad 8 years ago. Join their adventure and see how they do as a couple. HEA.
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April 9, 2022How about an excerpt? Pre-order The Starling now. Available August 2, 2022.
Chapter One
Trinidad, Colorado
May 1899
Kate Ryan shifted on the hard seat of the buckboard as it rattled along the road. The setting sun cast rays of light from its western position, blossoming like a flower.
“Why didn’t your husband pick you up and take you to this party?” The question broke the spell of her anxious anticipation. The driver, an older burly man the Pinkerton agency had hired at the last minute, glanced at her.
“I’ve arrived a day early and didn’t have the opportunity to send word to Hen—” She caught herself at the last second. “To Gilbert.” My husband’s name is Gilbert. She repeated the mantra a few more times, trying to drill it into her brain. Henry Maguire was the man playing her husband. She was getting the break of a lifetime—the ability to work as a full agent on a case at only nineteen years old—and she didn’t want to spoil it by ruining the other agent’s cover.
“It’s a surprise,” she added in a rush.
“Huh.”
Kate frowned, uncertainty fluttering in her chest. “You don’t think this is a good idea?” Her heart sped along with a steady rat-a-tat-tat, her palms clammy, and her mouth tasting like cotton balls, offering little help in wetting her dry lips.
Her nerves were stretched to the brink.
“He don’t know you’re coming, and he’s at the Wingate’s party without you? It’s just ….” He pulled on the reins, guiding the team around a bend in the road, and cast a sympathetic look her way. “You seem like a nice young woman. I just don’t want you to be disappointed … or have your feelings hurt.”
For a moment, Kate was at a loss as to what he meant, and then it walloped her over the head like her brother Eli sometimes did when the two of them argued. Not an actual wallop but a verbal harangue. Kate, however, had always held her ground with her older sibling. And she would need to do so now.
The man was implying her husband was a philanderer. Of all the circumstances she had anticipated dealing with, this one had honestly never crossed her mind. Mostly, she supposed, because this wasn’t a real marriage. It probably was true that Henry had a woman somewhere, although she knew from the Pinkerton office that he wasn’t married. Well, this driver wouldn’t rattle her. She had a job to do. And part of that job was to be Henry’s loving wife as well as his partner on the job. She could do it. She would do it.
“I’m sure it will be fine. I know my Gilbert, and he would never be anything but a gentleman. He was expecting me tomorrow. I’m just a day early. He left me a note at the house as to where he would be this evening,” she added, warming to the prevarications spilling from her mouth.
“So he knew you were coming? But you said he didn’t.”
“Well, I, ah.” She cleared her throat. “He wasn’t certain when I was to arrive. I was visiting my mother. She’s very ill, you see. I had told him I might arrive tonight, or tomorrow. I told him to go to the party and not to wait for me.” Stop talking, Kate. She folded her gloved hands onto her lap and glanced to the countryside, still visible in the fading light. This lying was going to prove a challenge to her.
Her mentor at the agency, Louise Foster, who had single-handedly gotten Kate this assignment, had told her during her training to keep the mistruths to a minimum. It would make it easier to remember them.
“Well, then,” the driver said. “I’m sure it will be fine. Your Gilbert will be mighty happy to see you.”
They crossed beneath a large wrought iron arch and entered a massive ranch. It hadn’t been a long journey from the cabin where she and Henry would be staying together as husband and wife, but her bottom was sore from the buckboard. She would have been much happier on her own horse, but Edgar Jones, her boss, had insisted she not enter the fray alone. He embraced working with female agents on his payroll, but he was careful with their safety as well.
Mr. Jones had sent word to Henry via a courier that she was arriving, but it was never clear if the message had been received. It had contained Louise’s suggestion that Kate attend the party. Louise had argued with Jones from her hospital bed that Henry was sometimes too stubborn in wanting to work alone and that if they didn’t force Kate upon him, he might keep her away from the investigation. Kate had been uncomfortably present for that exchange, leading her to wonder if Henry was a good agent after all, but underlying the discussion was a genuine tone of concern in both Jones and Louise’s voices.
However, now that Kate was here, a bigger problem was presenting itself—Henry was expecting Louise as his “wife” partner, not Kate. In fact, Kate had never met Henry, so of course he wouldn’t know who she was when she arrived.
Hence her anxiety.
In the distance, the lights of the main house blazed, growing brighter as they neared. The front area was crowded with buggies, horses, and carriages. Her driver was forced to stop some distance from the front porch.
He set the brake, climbed down, and came to Kate’s side. She gathered the full folds of her royal blue gown, quite the fanciest thing she had ever worn. The Rocking Wren, her folks’ ranch, rarely required this level of decorum. She clasped the driver’s hand and stepped down.
She confirmed she had her reticule looped around a wrist and patted her brown hair, pinned into a fancy upsweep.
She turned to the driver. “I’m so sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”
“Francis, ma’am. It was a pleasure, Mrs. Gilbert ….” He raised a busy brow in question.
“Holmes. And please, call me Sallie.” She was immensely proud that she got her alias correct, although she had no doubt that this was the smallest of tests she was about to endure. Still, she must take every victory she could get.
“Shall I wait for you, Sallie?” Francis asked, his gaze filled with genuine concern.
“No, of course not. My husband will see me home.” She hoped.
Francis donned his hat, giving a nod and a tug on the brim. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Perhaps I’ll see you again, Mr. Francis ….” She leaned forward and raised a brow.
He chuckled. “O’Malley. I’m new to town, but I run the livery and the blacksmith. If you need a horse shod, you give me a holler. I’ll do it for free. It’s the least I can do.”
As she started to turn to leave, he added, “And watch yourself in there.”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“Mrs. Wingate, she can be a little … too much. Don’t let her scare you. People like her sense fear and they pounce. Someone like you don’t deserve that. If you ever have any trouble and your husband isn’t doing his job, you come see me, you hear?”
Kate relaxed her shoulders, feeling the genuine concern emanating from Francis. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I truly do.”
She left him and made her way to the entrance of the grand home, feeling as if every step were taking her into the lion’s den. But she wouldn’t be afraid. She had wanted to have a career in law enforcement since she had turned sixteen. It was why she had pursued employment with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, one of the only places that allowed women—and especially young women—to have a chance to do important work.
The front entrance was open and attended by a butler. Kate took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.
Chapter One
Trinidad, Colorado
May 1899
Kate Ryan shifted on the hard seat of the buckboard as it rattled along the road. The setting sun cast rays of light from its western position, blossoming like a flower.
“Why didn’t your husband pick you up and take you to this party?” The question broke the spell of her anxious anticipation. The driver, an older burly man the Pinkerton agency had hired at the last minute, glanced at her.
“I’ve arrived a day early and didn’t have the opportunity to send word to Hen—” She caught herself at the last second. “To Gilbert.” My husband’s name is Gilbert. She repeated the mantra a few more times, trying to drill it into her brain. Henry Maguire was the man playing her husband. She was getting the break of a lifetime—the ability to work as a full agent on a case at only nineteen years old—and she didn’t want to spoil it by ruining the other agent’s cover.
“It’s a surprise,” she added in a rush.
“Huh.”
Kate frowned, uncertainty fluttering in her chest. “You don’t think this is a good idea?” Her heart sped along with a steady rat-a-tat-tat, her palms clammy, and her mouth tasting like cotton balls, offering little help in wetting her dry lips.
Her nerves were stretched to the brink.
“He don’t know you’re coming, and he’s at the Wingate’s party without you? It’s just ….” He pulled on the reins, guiding the team around a bend in the road, and cast a sympathetic look her way. “You seem like a nice young woman. I just don’t want you to be disappointed … or have your feelings hurt.”
For a moment, Kate was at a loss as to what he meant, and then it walloped her over the head like her brother Eli sometimes did when the two of them argued. Not an actual wallop but a verbal harangue. Kate, however, had always held her ground with her older sibling. And she would need to do so now.
The man was implying her husband was a philanderer. Of all the circumstances she had anticipated dealing with, this one had honestly never crossed her mind. Mostly, she supposed, because this wasn’t a real marriage. It probably was true that Henry had a woman somewhere, although she knew from the Pinkerton office that he wasn’t married. Well, this driver wouldn’t rattle her. She had a job to do. And part of that job was to be Henry’s loving wife as well as his partner on the job. She could do it. She would do it.
“I’m sure it will be fine. I know my Gilbert, and he would never be anything but a gentleman. He was expecting me tomorrow. I’m just a day early. He left me a note at the house as to where he would be this evening,” she added, warming to the prevarications spilling from her mouth.
“So he knew you were coming? But you said he didn’t.”
“Well, I, ah.” She cleared her throat. “He wasn’t certain when I was to arrive. I was visiting my mother. She’s very ill, you see. I had told him I might arrive tonight, or tomorrow. I told him to go to the party and not to wait for me.” Stop talking, Kate. She folded her gloved hands onto her lap and glanced to the countryside, still visible in the fading light. This lying was going to prove a challenge to her.
Her mentor at the agency, Louise Foster, who had single-handedly gotten Kate this assignment, had told her during her training to keep the mistruths to a minimum. It would make it easier to remember them.
“Well, then,” the driver said. “I’m sure it will be fine. Your Gilbert will be mighty happy to see you.”
They crossed beneath a large wrought iron arch and entered a massive ranch. It hadn’t been a long journey from the cabin where she and Henry would be staying together as husband and wife, but her bottom was sore from the buckboard. She would have been much happier on her own horse, but Edgar Jones, her boss, had insisted she not enter the fray alone. He embraced working with female agents on his payroll, but he was careful with their safety as well.
Mr. Jones had sent word to Henry via a courier that she was arriving, but it was never clear if the message had been received. It had contained Louise’s suggestion that Kate attend the party. Louise had argued with Jones from her hospital bed that Henry was sometimes too stubborn in wanting to work alone and that if they didn’t force Kate upon him, he might keep her away from the investigation. Kate had been uncomfortably present for that exchange, leading her to wonder if Henry was a good agent after all, but underlying the discussion was a genuine tone of concern in both Jones and Louise’s voices.
However, now that Kate was here, a bigger problem was presenting itself—Henry was expecting Louise as his “wife” partner, not Kate. In fact, Kate had never met Henry, so of course he wouldn’t know who she was when she arrived.
Hence her anxiety.
In the distance, the lights of the main house blazed, growing brighter as they neared. The front area was crowded with buggies, horses, and carriages. Her driver was forced to stop some distance from the front porch.
He set the brake, climbed down, and came to Kate’s side. She gathered the full folds of her royal blue gown, quite the fanciest thing she had ever worn. The Rocking Wren, her folks’ ranch, rarely required this level of decorum. She clasped the driver’s hand and stepped down.
She confirmed she had her reticule looped around a wrist and patted her brown hair, pinned into a fancy upsweep.
She turned to the driver. “I’m so sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”
“Francis, ma’am. It was a pleasure, Mrs. Gilbert ….” He raised a busy brow in question.
“Holmes. And please, call me Sallie.” She was immensely proud that she got her alias correct, although she had no doubt that this was the smallest of tests she was about to endure. Still, she must take every victory she could get.
“Shall I wait for you, Sallie?” Francis asked, his gaze filled with genuine concern.
“No, of course not. My husband will see me home.” She hoped.
Francis donned his hat, giving a nod and a tug on the brim. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Perhaps I’ll see you again, Mr. Francis ….” She leaned forward and raised a brow.
He chuckled. “O’Malley. I’m new to town, but I run the livery and the blacksmith. If you need a horse shod, you give me a holler. I’ll do it for free. It’s the least I can do.”
As she started to turn to leave, he added, “And watch yourself in there.”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“Mrs. Wingate, she can be a little … too much. Don’t let her scare you. People like her sense fear and they pounce. Someone like you don’t deserve that. If you ever have any trouble and your husband isn’t doing his job, you come see me, you hear?”
Kate relaxed her shoulders, feeling the genuine concern emanating from Francis. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I truly do.”
She left him and made her way to the entrance of the grand home, feeling as if every step were taking her into the lion’s den. But she wouldn’t be afraid. She had wanted to have a career in law enforcement since she had turned sixteen. It was why she had pursued employment with the Pinkerton Detective Agency, one of the only places that allowed women—and especially young women—to have a chance to do important work.
The front entrance was open and attended by a butler. Kate took a deep breath and crossed the threshold.
September 11, 2022
The Starling ( Winds of the West Book 8
Wow!!! Just like an old fashioned who done it, this just kept rolling along to the end. Who did it? Who knew? Who's lying? So many characters looking for answers from the others.
Mystery, twists and turns, lies, good guys and dastardly ones and of course the romance with a bit of spice. I loved it and recommend as I do all Kristy McCaffrey's books. Never a boring moment. Looking forward to the next book. JudyE
Wow!!! Just like an old fashioned who done it, this just kept rolling along to the end. Who did it? Who knew? Who's lying? So many characters looking for answers from the others.
Mystery, twists and turns, lies, good guys and dastardly ones and of course the romance with a bit of spice. I loved it and recommend as I do all Kristy McCaffrey's books. Never a boring moment. Looking forward to the next book. JudyE
October 1, 2023
“spend time with him,” her mother had said. “give him space. forgive him for not being what you want him to be - whole and happy. you don’t have to love him. but kindness and respect are traits that can be freely given.”
August 4, 2024
It was great !!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews